Recently, gas water heaters have incorporated electronic ignition devices and sealed burners, which prevent manual lighting of a pilot light with a match or other flame. Such water heaters may provide a manually activated device for electrically igniting the pilot, as shown in Overbey, U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,779. In particular, the device disclosed in Overbey is a push-button piezo igniter that allows a user to remotely activate or ignite the pilot flame from a location on the outside of the water heater. It has been difficult to incorporate piezo igniters and other similar devices into hot water heaters in an ideal location that users can easily operate. Attempts to incorporate these igniters have resulted in added cost associated with fastening the igniter on the water heater.
The present invention relates to a bracket for mounting a push-button piezo igniter to a gas valve on a water heater, while also providing electrical ground connection of the piezo igniter to the gas valve. In particular, the present invention provides a bracket that receives and supports the push-button piezo igniter and connects to an external conductive end of the piezo igniter to provide grounding. The bracket further comprises a clip for engaging and securely attaching to a gas valve, through which the bracket establishes an electrical ground connection via the clip. Finally, the bracket secures the push-button piezo igniter without requiring fasteners, and locates the piezo igniter in a recognizable, ergonomically accessible location on the water heater.
It should be understood that the detailed description and specific example are intended for purposes of illustrating only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.